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considering a career in investment banking were forced to adjust their plans and expand their target
lists.
Implementing Your Strategy
If the prior preparation was done well, you are already in position to take the critical action steps. The
very act of developing your resume caused you to think about your background and focus on potential
industries/companies and roles where you can add the most value. By defining yourself you have also
defined your (initial) area(s) of interest which in turn will propel you on your way. And so from this
perspective, the Implementation Stage is neither separate nor distinct from the Getting Ready Stage.
More importantly, it is essential to recognize it as part of an integrated strategy which in and of itself
will be subject to revisions as you commence your actual search process.
Proactive versus Reactive Strategies
It does not take an MBA to recognize that it‟s easier to be reactive than proactive. It‟s easier to
respond to a job posting than to uncover a job on your own. It is easier in this digital age to surf the
Internet for hours instead of making a single exploratory phone call. Is it better to be proactive or
reactive? In truth, both strategies are necessary.
Think of reactive strategies as being like farmers going into the fields seeking to harvest existing
crops. Just as the farmer is dependent on external circumstances (in this case, nature) providing what
is needed, if you are utilizing a reactive strategy, you are dependent on others providing what you
need (in this case, a job opportunity). Like the farmer, you can plant seeds, but in the end you are
highly dependent on things that are out of your control, and you can harvest only what has grown. In
contrast, hunters are more in control of their own destinies. They make several calculated decisions,
such as what to hunt, where to hunt, when and how to hunt. While hunters are still subject to forces
outside of their control, they are in a better position to adjust their strategy as conditions change.
Thinking about the analogy of the farmer versus the hunter for career seekers, the reactive career
seeker will upload resumes, respond to job postings, and answer the phone, just like the farmer
harvests the crops. The proactive job hunter will network with friends, alumni, fellow students,
families, and others, proactively research industries and companies, and make proactive phone calls.
Both approaches can prove to be successful, and the most successful job seekers use a combination of
the two methods.
One of the keys to the hunter/proactive method is networking. Let‟s spend some time discussing
this art and how to improve your skills in this area.
Networking